Modern Masks 1889

Curator: This image pulls you right in, doesn't it? It's a print called "Modern Masks" by Felicien Rops, made around 1889. You see a woman in the foreground surrounded by an unsettling gallery of faces. It’s kind of delicious, right? Editor: Oh, it absolutely vibrates with symbolism! That woman, seemingly nude, isn’t vulnerable at all. There's a cool detachment in her gaze. But all those masked faces in the background suggest a whole history of hidden intentions and identities. It feels very potent. Curator: And see the sword behind her? It suggests justice perhaps. The king's head too, which seems to be spitting fire, has some fascinating connections to power and decay. Though I like that you noticed her seeming detachment. Editor: Exactly. And think about the king's head for a moment – the power structures being called into question, all that potent imagery hinting at revolution. Rops packs so much commentary in here, doesn't he? The very *idea* of masks also implies deceit and performance... that the woman herself may be masked. Curator: Indeed! And it's such a Mannerist concoction – everyone contorted and posed for maximum expressive, even theatrical effect. I wonder though... Is it just *a bit* heavy-handed? It feels a bit too earnest to simply be "decadent fun", what do you think? Editor: Well, the line between those two is thinner than we give it credit for, wouldn't you say? Rops wants to disturb us. The work as a whole doesn't try to hide it: It's saying “Look at this society that we live in!” That raw unease he creates, for me, it still resonates. Curator: And of course, it's impossible to ignore how he connects it all back to the artist's own life too—the tower there in the image relates to his relationship to France and its collapse in social mores. So he clearly intends for this image to communicate about his own story. Editor: That's true. Seeing these pieces allows you to unlock personal messages encoded in images that were specifically directed for Rops to process things occurring during the time. Curator: Rops gave me a lot to mull over about truth and masks, so maybe this will do the same for our visitors today. Editor: Indeed. The echo of these modern masks continues to ring through our contemporary world!